


Worth the Wait

by rachel6141997



Category: Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones, JONES Diana Wynne - Works
Genre: F/M, POV Male Character, Romance, Stream of Consciousness, five shot, womanizing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-13
Updated: 2012-03-13
Packaged: 2017-11-01 22:06:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachel6141997/pseuds/rachel6141997
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four times Howl lied when he said he was in love, and one time he was telling the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth the Wait

**Author's Note:**

> This work is in memory of Dianna Wynne Jones, who died last year, to the great regret of many readers, including and especially me.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Sadly, none of these characters (but Emmy, Geraldine, and Ellen, but they don't really count, as they are basically just names) are mine, they belong to Diana Wynne Jones.

1-Emmy (the Welsh lass down the street)

 

"Emmy, oh Emmy," the starstruck Howell sighs. The thirteen year old has been mooning over the girl for over a week now. At last, his older sister, Megan, comes in and irritably asks, "What's with you and the Walter girl anyway?"

"I love her," Howell replies dreamily.

"Her or the tickets she has to the Rugby cup?" Megan murmurs under her breath, and Howell pretends not to hear.

 

He doesn't need his _sister_ to tell him when he's lying.

 

***

 

2-Geraldine (the lass from another world)

 

"I'll catch you a shooting star, and give it to you as proof of my devotion," he tells her, and she flutters her eyelashes and simpers.

When he stands, waiting for the approaching star to fall into his hands, he tells himself that it is for Geraldine that he gives up his heart, not for power, and _certainly_ not for any pity of the star, so afraid to die.

His teacher is not impressed by this explanation. Howl flees before Mrs. Pentsemmon's fury.

 

He doesn't need his _mentor_ to tell him when he's lying.

 

***

 

3- The Witch of the Waste (the old lady who looks young)

 

"You're so powerful, and beautiful," he flatters her, and she swallows it up. She doesn't say yes though, not till he tells her his greatest weakness-his family in Wales.

Calcifer hisses and spits worriedly in the grate. "I know you want to learn more magic, but aren't you taking this too far?"

"I love her," Howl protests feebly, his hair newly dyed blonde. Calcifer does not like the color and snorts. Howl ignores him.

 

He doesn't need his _firedemon_ to tell him when he's lying.

 

***

 

4-Ellen (the noble lady form Ingary)

 

He likes the chase, by now. The latest one is beautiful and proud, and refuses to bend to him, though he knows she is weakening. He mopes and storms thorugh the castle, making copious amounts of green slime at the slightest provocation.

Michael, the orphan boy (whom he loves, but he would never admit that), looks terrified but defiant as he says, "Howl, let it go! You're making Calcifer miserable, and think of the dripping! And the Aunts!" He does not mention himself, but Howl knows anyway. "And for what? You'll just leave her anyway."

Howl puts on a hurt face, saying, "Never!"He sighs dramatically, "I love her, yet she spurns me!"

 

He doesn't need his _apprentice_ to tell him when he's lying.

 

***

 

5- Sophie (the young woman who looks old)

 

She takes over his castle and scours it from top to bottom, messes with his bathroom and turns his hair pink (pink!), _threatens his spiders,_ and simply _infuriates_ him. Yet he cannot seem to turn her out, and it's not the fact that she terrifies him (although she does, when she's angry, and her eyes are blazing; her staff or a bucket of potent weed killer lofted ready to strike), or even the fact that she's under a spell that he can't seem to break (although it's really quite galling, he's the most powerful wizard in this world, and a few others besides, yet he can't break a measly aging spell?).

She's  fascinating- she talks life into hats and yet thinks she has no magic, nothing worthwhile about her. She faces him when he's in the midst of a tantrum, even goes raring after the Witch, and yet she's afraid of a scarecrow. (One, admittedly, with ridiculously powerful magic and one that he's afraid of, but then, he's afraid of a lot of things, including bad-hair days, and Sophie) He tells himself that it doesn't matter if she stays or goes, that it won't hurt at all if she somehow regains her true youth and leaves.

But when he comes back to find her gone, heading towards the watse, he cannot lie anymore. For once, he forgets the bath, the makeup, and even the _hair_ , as he goes to save the woman he loves.

And when he wakes up, saying groggily, "I can't stay, I've got to rescue that fool Sophie," he finds he rnext to him, red hair falling down past her face as he realizes she saved his life, giving him back his heart (never dreaming that she'd stolen it long ago).

And when, on their wedding day, Sophie is terrified and reaches out to him for comfort and reassurance, he holds her close and whispers those same, overused words- words that had somehow gained new life and new, precious, meaning: "I love you."

 

The wizard Howl Pendragon needs no _sister_ , no _mentor_ , no _firedemon_ , no _apprentice_ , and no, not even _Sophie_ , to tell him when he's telling the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think...  
> I don't actually know if there is a Rugby Cup, if you happen to know different than just fill it in as you go or leave a comment and I can edit.
> 
> I would have liked to emphasize more that as time went on Howl went for the girls more because he liked the thrill of the chase than because he actually wanted something out of them, but I couldn't quite work it in.


End file.
